Former SS Soldier Charged With 70-Year Old Massacre

A former SS soldier, now an 88 year old man identified only as Werner C, is being charged by German prosecutors for allegedly taking part in a 1944 massacre of 642 people in the French village of Oradour-sur-Glane, during World War II.

Although the accused was in fact in Oradour-sur-Glane at the time Nazi soldiers slaughtered most of the village, he “disputes any involvement in the murders.”

The prosecutor’s office said the Cologne man has been charged “in the murder of 25 people… and with aiding and abetting the murder of several hundred people.”

It all came to light again when a historian recently discovered documents with all six suspect’s names in connection to this crime, still alive and now aged between 85 and 86, giving the nearly 70-year old case enough evidence to be re-opened. The other suspects are still at large, but German prosecutors plan to pursue them as well.

In typical Nazi style, 400 of the people murdered were women and children and were either shot, or rounded up in the town church, and burned to death.

Only one woman managed to escape the flames. After the war, French President Charles de Gaulle ordered that the ruins of the village be preserved as a memorial.

The village has been undisturbed since the massacre to serve as a memorial and as a constant reminder of the unrelenting evil of the Nazis.

On Wednesday, the regional court in Cologne said: ‘The prosecutor’s office in Dortmund has charged an 88-year-old from Cologne over the murder of 25 people committed by a group, and with aiding and abetting the murder of several hundred people.’

Dortmund prosecutor Andreas Brendel told French reporters in Oradour last year: ‘We hope the survivors may be able to help us identify any culprits who are still alive.’

Camille Senon is one of survivors who witnessed the aftermath of the massacre in which her family members died, said: ‘It is considered a positive gesture by the Germans to send investigators for the first time, 68 years after, even though I would have liked to have seen it happen sooner’.

Robert Hebras, another survivor who was 19 at the time, hid under the corpses of others who were machine-gunned, said, ‘I was consumed by hatred and vengeance for a long time,’ adding: ‘We must reconcile with the Germans.’

70 years after the fact is a long time. We don’t know if this guy had any involvement or not. Vengeance is mine said the Lord. Well, this man is 88 years old and he will soon be seeing the Lord. If he is guilty, the Lord will know. The Lord will take care of everything that needs to be taken care of.

I am not a big believer in human vengeance because often humans are wrong. Do you know how many innocent people are in our prisons right now? Thousands upon thousands. I also know that vengeance doesn’t bring healing. I should know. I am a victim of violent crime. Vengeance only creates more suffering and angers more people. Now, forgiveness actually heals. Forgiveness and mercy puts an end to the madness.

Don’t think for a moment that I side with evil. Because I don’t. I just know that no one can escape the things they do. No one. If this man is guilty, he will pay the price. No one escapes their deeds. Due to my job, I investigate corruption for a living. I have met prisoners who were completely innocent of their crimes and I met judges, attorneys and cops who knowingly setup or sent innocent people to prison. In fact, I know people in authority who have killed innocent people in cold blood but are walking around free. But I have also seen a prisoner who was innocent die and at the time of his death he was at peace. That was because he was right with God. I have also seen guilty people in authority at the time of their deaths and they weren’t at peace because they knew they could not hide behind their positions any longer.

No one escapes the evil they have done. No one. So if you are out there and you did something terrible to someone and you thought you got away with it, well, you haven’t. You just delayed the inevitable. If you murdered, set someone up, deceived someone, destroyed a persons life or hurt someone, you will pay.

Matt

IT Was war leave the man alone, and most likely nobody in the case except the soldier was even around back then so find someone else to pick on to make your headlines assholes.

Rob Grane

Matt, apparently you need to go back and read up on World War II history about the SS. They mudered civilians all the time. Stop making excuses for genocide. Your ignorance is astounding.

Rob Grane

Matt, apparently you need to go back and study your World War II history again. You are making excuses for mass genocide for which the SS was known for in the war. War is killing somebody who was armed, these people were MURDERED, you idiot. There is a difference.

Scott

What the hell good is going to do now by arresting him? 70 years later, he will just die in prison!!! And of freaking course he’s going to deny any involvement, that’s that they were told back then.

Academicjock

Just another stupid fundegelical hypothesis regarding a gray haired old man that floats in the sky and will damn you to an eternity of torture if you don’t take his rape conceived son into your heart … but the gray haired old man loves you.

Ya know … I agree with your concept of vengeance. But, why the bulls**t about god?! Why can’t you fundegelicals leave god out of this.

To hell with god (that would be if there was a hell and if there was a god and neither exist) … just do the right thing. You don’t need religion to have morals. If you can’t determine right from wrong then you lack empathy, not religion.

john

execute this nazi scum. germans suck then AND now.. execute him in front of any family he has.

http://aol.cm rrogearmil

What of all those allied bombardiers who directed bombs which killed thousands of women and their children? Oh, I understand. The Germans started it. Then, the German accusers should stand with Werner C, verstehen Sie?

Rob Grane

NO, you don’t understand. Obviously you are not intelligent enough to grasp the differences and the reasons for World War II or you would not have written that dumb post.